In the back of one’s mind it was certain his prognosis was grim, but the word is now out that the man best known as “the Wig Man,” Daniel Vovak, has passed away from cancer at the age of 39. I guess I’m sensitive to this having experienced the same with my own family almost a year ago.
Alan Brody at the Gazette does a good job of summarizing Daniel’s life, but I wanted to share some of my experiences with him as well.
I last saw him at the Spring GOP convention, where he indeed pleaded for unity as Brody alluded to. For most (including myself) it would be the last time we saw him alive. The last time I spoke with Daniel (briefly) was in Corrogan Vaughn’s hospitality suite the night before, and it was clear that his illness had taken its toll. It was a very sudden and jarring change considering that he looked the picture of health during our previous fall’s convention; a time when we compared our picks for state party chairman.
But I prefer to recall the healthy and humorous Daniel Vovak, and the lengthier conversations we occasionally had. Every so often Dan would call me up and pick my brain regarding state politics based on the respect he had for my writing; meanwhile I’d ask him about that business since he had some experience there as a ghostwriter and published author in his own right. It wasn’t all that long ago, but seems like a lifetime because this happened before he fell ill late last year. He was always good for an interesting press release, and sometimes I would use them as fodder for my own thoughts on political subjects.
Most, though, will remember the wig and the many quixotic runs for elected office Vovak conducted – and almost invariably lost. (Seventh out of nine was good enough to put him on the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, though.) But he was humble enough to thank our county for supporting him for party chair. Maybe he wasn’t the most qualified officeseeker, but he was the most earnest. To me he was the better candidate of the two presented.
Still, it wasn’t in the cards for Daniel Vovak to be a political success. For those who knew him and admired his work, his success was measured in the quality of his friendship. Daniel may be gone, but it’s doubtful he or his wig will be forgotten anytime soon.
